


My Dragon's Keeper

by KasaiHaven



Category: One Piece
Genre: ASL Brothers, Action/Adventure, Ancient Weapons (One Piece), Dragons, Friendship, Marines, Monster Trio (One Piece)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29748576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KasaiHaven/pseuds/KasaiHaven
Summary: Each village has their own version of the tale of the ancient weapons. Some tell of giant ships or secrets of the world, but Shimotsuki Village tells a story of dragons. Though Zoro, a young swordsman with a goal of fulfilling his promise to his dead friend, could careless about childish fairytales. After becoming a chore boy in the marines, his crew becomes trapped in a ferocious storm. Thinking it's the end of the line, Zoro wakes up on a mysterious island. And on this island is a weird mysterious stranger that may just change his life.***will probably update tags in the future***
Kudos: 9





	1. The Storm

Stories about the ancient weapons were common tales passed down from generation to generation. Children huddled around a village elder or storyteller, excited to hear about mysterious forces that they could only dream of ever encountering (or maybe even obtaining). What the ancient weapons actually were varied from village to village and from island to island. Some describe them as gigantic war ships, secrets about the world, or even items with the ability to grant users godlike powers.

Though in Shimotsuki Village, the version told here was of three elemental dragons: fire, lightning, and frost. These elements were never stagnant however, with a different storyteller changing the elements depending on the story. Despite this, there were commonalities between each telling. All three dragons possessed unbelievable power and were protected by sworn allies known as keepers. These keepers were those chosen by the dragons and tasked with defending their masters from those who wished to take advantage of them. Although the dragons were powerful creatures, they were not invincible.  


When a dragon used too much of their power they would go into hibernation. Sometimes for a week or even as long as 100 years. The keepers diligently guarded the chambers of the dragons during these times. Outsiders would seek out the dragons to obtain one of their many scales. It was said that if eaten, that person could obtain the power of one of the three great dragons. And so, keepers were a necessity.

It wasn’t unusual to see children run around the village pretending to be keepers and power hungry enemies. Most of the children, but not Zoro. The green haired boy only believed in a few things and dragons were not one of them. The last thing on his mind was entertaining an old fools tale told by an old fool. He had something more important to focus on. He had a promise to fulfill and he refused to get sidetracked. Getting stronger was what mattered.

“Come on Zoro! Take a break and play with us!” Zoro dropped the weights from his mouth and turned to face his fellow classmate.

“If it won’t help me become the greatest swordsman, then I won’t bother. That includes your dumb fairytales.” He picked his weights up from the ground and continued. “Grow up.”

* * *

It had been 5 years since Kuina was laid to rest and 5 years since Zoro had inherited her precious sword: Wado Ichimonji. Everyday for the young swordsman was filled with arduous training. Many of the adults were unable to keep up with the boy and would often dread their sparring sessions with him. He was truly becoming a monster. His massive growth inspired competition among the other students. Koushirou couldn't have been more proud, but a lingering concern for his star pupil invaded his thoughts. Zoro’s talent with a sword was undeniable, that much was true, but he still had much to learn. There were just some things that couldn’t be taught in a dojo.

On this warm spring day, the villagers were in a buzz. A marine ship docked on the small island; certainly an unusual occurrence. A lieutenant emerged from the vessel with seaman recruits and apprentices by his side. Whatever their reason for being there, it must not have been good. Koushirou left the walls of his dojo to see marines questioning the villagers. Although frantic, they seemed well meaning.

“What brings you to our humble village Lieutenant?” Koushirou asked.

“I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but there has been a series of pirate attacks in this area. We were hoping we could find some possible clues by questioning the nearby towns and villages. It doesn’t seem like they’ve made it to this one...yet.”

Koushirou wasn’t entirely shocked upon hearing this information. The East Blue was known as being the most peaceful blue. Upstart pirates liked to take advantage of the easygoing nature of those who lived in these seas. The dojo master noticed the bags under the Lieutenant’s eyes. Clearly the situation was something that had been stressing the officer out for a while.

“You seem a bit wound up Lieutenant. How about joining me at my dojo for some tea?” Koushirou gestured to the wooden gate leading to his dojo. The Lieutenant hesitated at first, but eventually agreed. As the two men entered, the tired soldier noticed the many students practicing diligently. Children swung away with intense looks on their faces as senior practitioners oversaw their training.

“I don’t believe I got your name Lieutenant.”

“Oh right, I’m Lieutenant Ripper.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Koushirou and I’m the dojo master here.” The older man replied with a smile as he adjusted his glasses. “I would invite you inside, but we’re currently holding exams. Sorry for the inconvenience, but do you mind waiting here?”

“I don’t mind at all; I appreciate the hospitality.”

Koushirou nodded and left to make tea for the both of them. Lieutenant Ripper took in his surroundings. The courtyard was quite nice, from the gently rustling leaves of the trees to the well kept sand garden. Ripper found himself enjoying the peacefulness of it all. Especially after what was definitely the most hectic week since he was stationed in the East Blue. Some new pirate crew was pillaging villages at an alarming rate. What made it worse were the reports of them possibly being former marines. Ripper held his head as he felt the pain of an oncoming headache. If they didn’t catch these thugs, there wouldn’t be a town left undestroyed.

_Crack! Bam!_ Ripper’s attention was drawn towards a noise on the other side of the courtyard. It was a young boy. He had a sword in each hand and… one in his mouth? The soldier couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The boy demolished the training dummies before him and then proceeded to focus on a large boulder that loomed nearby. In a flash he had sliced it in two. His face was still stern, but his eyes lit up in satisfaction. Just watching him train sent a jolt of energy through Ripper. _That kid is…_

“I see you’ve taken an interest in my pupil, Zoro.” Ripper jumped a bit at the sudden voice of Koushirou. “He’s a hard worker and a talented swordsman. I have no doubt he’ll achieve his dream one day.”

“His dream?”

“Yes. He wishes to become the greatest swordsman.” Koushirou smiled fondly while setting down a tray of tea. He sat down and took the steaming cup in his hands. A gust of wind shook the branches of the nearby cherry blossom trees. Petals rained down on the courtyard, covering the ground in a layer of pink. “I can’t wait to see what kind of man he becomes.”

“I’m also interested. In all honestly we’re spread pretty thin right now. Young blood is what we need.” Ripper turned to the dojo master with a serious expression. “I would like to recruit your pupil for the marines.”

* * *

Zoro was not expecting his training to be interrupted by some random marine and he certainly wasn’t expecting to be recruited either. The soldier appeared firm and very disciplined, but he couldn’t hide the exhaustion that clouded his eyes. A conversation about Zoro’s abilities did spark a little light in those dull orbs of his though.

“We’ll be docked at port until the end of the day. Even if I don’t get your answer by then, we’ll be happy to receive you at any time.”  
Hours had passed since then, but Zoro knew they were still there. They would be leaving very soon. Initially Zoro didn’t seriously consider his offer, though as the minutes ticked by…

“Zoro I need to speak to you for a moment.” The boy snapped out of his thoughts. “I think you should accept Lieutenant Ripper’s proposition.” Zoro’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Master are you serious?”

“I am. If you join, you’ll be able to test your skills in real combat and most importantly there’s a chance you will cross paths with him.” Zoro’s hand instinctively grabbed the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. He smiled in excitement. This path he was about to take was one he had never once considered. Zoro as a marine? It almost made the young swordsman laugh. _If it’ll lead me to meeting him one day, then maybe it’s worth it._

“I’ll do it.”

* * *

I can’t believe I’m doing this right now. Zoro gritted his teeth in annoyance. He gripped the wooden handle of the mop and cleaned the decks rather aggressively. When Zoro joined the marines he was not expecting to be regulated to menial labor. Washing dishes, doing laundry, mopping the floors, and every other task imaginable. He was a simple chore boy. Even though he was recruited based on his talent with a sword, he was still only 14 and everyone had to start somewhere. _What a pain. If I keep this up, my swordsmanship will start slipping._

“Hey chore boy you missed a spot.”

Zoro could feel the vein popping from his head. It was him. That stupid chef’s apprentice. Ever since Zoro came on board two weeks ago, they had been on bad terms. Their personalities and ideologies--everything about them clashed. You would think since they were around the same age they would have bonded through commonality. Unfortunately, they became quick enemies instead.

“Go back to making your slop curly-brow.”

“How dare you insult my cooking! I’ll kick your ass!”

“I’d like to see you try.” Zoro’s hand grabbed the hilt of his sword. He would be ready.  
Before the apprentice could stomp over to Zoro he was swiftly grabbed by the head chef. He emerged from the kitchen in a huff and let out a sigh of annoyance.

“Sanji, stop messing around with the cabin boy. We have soldiers to feed.”

The blonde shot Zoro one more dirty look before following the chef back into the kitchen. Other soldiers who overheard the argument learned to pay no mind to the petty squabbles of the two youngest members. At first it was cause for concern and irritation, but when they realized that neither had ever initiated a serious fight--it just became normal. The ship was peaceful once more. The silence wasn’t uncommon. Zoro noticed that not only was Lieutenant Ripper stricken with extreme exhaustion, but so were many other soldiers. Some of them even show signs of paranoia. If the pirate crew they were hunting turned out to be deserters from the Navy, could anyone be trusted?

It wasn’t as if a whole platoon up and went missing either. If that was the case it would be clear who the culprits were. Instead this pirate crew was an amalgamation of defectors across multiple different regiments, squads, platoons, and etc. The idea of someone turning traitor wasn’t entirely unreasonable. Zoro felt something cold pepper his skin. He looked to the sky and saw the gloomy clouds rolling in. I guess all his hard work wasn’t necessary if nature was gonna do his job for him. _What a waste of time._ The soldiers let out a mix of relief and complaints about the rain. It was nice, calming almost. Well at first it was. The rain picked up quickly. The droplets that once caressed the skin of the crew smashed into their bodies like chunks of ice. The wind grew stronger and more relentless.

“We’re sailing into a storm!” One soldier warned. Everyone mobilized swiftly to their posts. _Damn this actually looks pretty bad._

“Cabin boy get inside!” A recruit shouted through the thunder.

“Wait let me help!”

“You have no sailing experience; if you want to help, get inside and make sure everything is tied down!”

The recruit was desperately pulling the sail, his drenched brown hair stuck to his face like glue. His eyes were frantic as he commanded the cabin boy. Zoro cursed under his breath and rushed inside. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. He hadn’t ventured outside of Shimotsuki Village in years and his experience with sailing was non-existent. _Why am I so useless?!_ As Zoro swung the door open to the storage and was faced with dozens of crates stacked against the walls. A few were sliding across the floor as the waves began to rock the ship violently. He quickly bounded them with rope and stabilized the supplies as best he could. _I should check the other rooms._

As he left the room, he was sent hurtling into the wall. With a frustrated grunt, Zoro continued down the hallway with cautious steps. Most of the rooms he searched were either empty or contained soldiers hastily rallying to do whatever they could. All that was left was the kitchen.

“Shi--!” Zoro is thrown through the metal door and back on the outer deck. The situation had become much worse. Giant waves crashed down on the soldiers without rest. Screams and shouts could barely be heard over the roaring thunder.

“Man overboard! Man overboard!”

It was futile. How could they save someone when they could barely save themselves? Crawling on the ground, the cabin boy was able to make his way to the kitchen. When he opened the door, he wasn’t expecting the sight before him. Food, pots, pans, and other cooking utensils were strewn across the floor. In the midst of the mess was a thick pool of blood. The source was Sanji. The apprentice had a pained expression on his face. His hand continued to drip freely with blood as the dark liquid stained the wooden planks of the floor. Desperately, he tried to stop the bleeding with a nearby towel.

“Damn it…” The blonde muttered.

“What the hell happened to your hand?”

“I was cutting potatoes when the ship got caught in the storm. The sudden movement caused me to cut my hand.”

“Give me your hand curly brow.”

Sanji would usually give Zoro a disgusted glance before avidly refusing the command, but this was no time for bickering. Zoro grabs a clean towel and ties it tightly around the apprentice’s hand. The blonde grits his teeth in pain.

“Where are the other chefs Curly Brow?”

“They left to help out on the deck.”

Another violent shake rattles the entire ship and both boys are sent sliding across the floor. Screams of terror and shock echo throughout the room. A wordless conversation takes place between the two as they lock eyes. Even if they weren’t the most qualified, they couldn’t stand around doing nothing. Both of them jolted from their spots on the ground and rushed out of the kitchen. Though the scene that greeted the two rookies was a nightmare come to life. Towering above the entire ship is a mountain made of the turbulent sea that threatened to come crashing down at any moment. It lingers in the air and time seems to freeze. It’s deep gray waves were almost tranquil as it readied for impact. And then it happened. The mass of water slammed into the boat with a viciousness only mother nature could inflict.

Zoro has no time to cry or shout. Salt water fills his mouth and nostrils as he is thrusted from the deck. _It burns, everything burns!_ Darkness clouded Zoro’s vision; his consciousness is fading quickly. _Is this really how it ends?_ The young swordsman finally gives in and accepts his fate.


	2. The Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I changed the tense from present to past not for story reasons, but because I felt more comfortable writing it that way. Anyway I hope you enjoy!

_Am I...Am I dead?_ A bright light streamed into Zoro’s vision as he slowly opened his eyes. A clear blue sky stretched above him with a bright yellow sun shining cheerfully within its blue frame. Zoro winced when he attempted to sit up. His body felt like he had just slammed into a concrete wall. _What’s this?_ It’s...sand? The chore boy frantically surveyed his surroundings. Palm trees and other vegetation dotted his environment. Coarse sand sparkled in the bright sunlight and the salty smell of the sea wafted in the area. 

“Oh you’re finally awake!”

The chore boy whipped his head around to see an unfamiliar figure. A boy who appeared to be a few years younger than Zoro, gets far closer to the swordsman than he would ever like. The boy examined him with an awestruck expression. 

“Back off!” Zoro shoved the boy away from him. “Haven’t you heard of personal space.”

The swordsman is able to get a good look at the strange kid. Red paint marked the space under his eyes. His raven hair was a little past shoulder length with the excess hair being put in a neat braid. A silky red kimono hung somewhat loosely from his slim frame. Gold designs in the shape of scales winded up the side of his sleeves and blue hakama. To complete his look, dangling from his right ear was a red feather earring.

“Wait...the ship!” Zoro grabbed the boy by the shoulders. “Did you see any other marines wash up on this island?”

“Oh you mean those other guys in uniforms. Yeah they’re a few more that ended up a couple of miles in that direct-”

Zoro wasted no time running in the direction the boy pointed to. He hadn’t known his crewmates for that long, but the idea of them dying was not something he wanted to imagine. How many were left? And where were they? 

“Oi! Wait up!” The other adolescent easily caught up to his senior. “I’m Luffy, what’s your name?”

The chore boy only grunted in annoyance before dashing forward at a faster pace. There were currently more important things to be considered, things other than some weirdo kid. To his shock, Luffy matched his pace rather easily. Without missing a beat, he continued their conversation.

“I see! You wanna race huh? I’ll warn you I’m pretty fast!” 

A gold cloud of sand was kicked up in front of Zoro’s face. The tiny granules irritated his eyes as Luffy charged forward. The rather energetic boy disappeared from Zoro’s sight and honestly he couldn’t help but feel grateful for the silence. Thankfully he was able to follow the kicked up areas of sand where Luffy sped through. _If he’s here, maybe there’s a village on this island somewhere._ Or maybe that was wishful thinking. Nothing on the island indicated signs of civilization. The island had an almost ominous aura to it. Something was...off.

Figures began to form in the distance and as Zoro neared them, he could see the whites of three uniforms. Conversing with them is Luffy who appeared to be rather intrigued by their presence. In slight desperation, Zoro scanned the area once more for any more recognizable faces or uniforms. There had to be more survivors than the pitiful lot that were standing before him.

“Ah! Zoro you’re alive too!” Lieutenant Ripper’s eyes lit up as the young crew member joined the rest of them. Zoro only nodded half-heartedly in response. Sanji stood there in a daze, clearly trying to process what happened. Next to him was the officer that originally told Zoro to help somewhere else on the ship during the storm. Zoro couldn’t recall his name. In fact he couldn’t recall the names of most of the men he had only just begun to work alongside. Frustration bubbled inside the adolescent. He never got a chance to know them and now they were all gone. Their souls lost to the depths of the sea. There was no need to ask; the four of them were the only remnants of the crew. A short silence stretched between the small group of survivors.

“So who are you guys anyway?” Luffy broke the depressing atmosphere. He wore an innocent expression, completely ignorant to the current mood. “I was really surprised to see other people here.”

“What do you mean you were surprised to see other people? Are you saying there’s no one else on this island?” Lieutenant Ripper asked with growing concern evident in his tone.

“Yup. Just me and now you guys.” Luffy continued in curiosity. “So you guys gonna tell me what happened? I might be able to help.”

Lieutenant Ripper sighed in exhaustion before recounting the tragedy of their sinking. Luffy sat quietly and waited for the soldier to finish his tale. Once the Lieutenant was done, the boy jumped backed to his feet. 

“Got it. Before I give you a hand, why don’t you tell me your names? My name is Luffy!”

“That over there is Sanji, he’s a chef’s apprentice. This is Bly, he’s a Seaman First Class, and that’s Zoro. He only joined a week ago so he’s just a chore boy right now. And I'm their commanding officer, Lieutenant Ripper. ” As Ripper completed everyone’s introductions, Luffy gave a small smile.

“Wow, so you guys must be marines! I’ve never seen one in person before.”

 _What? He’s the only person on this island and he’s never seen a marine until right now. Who is this kid?_ Zoro’s crewmates also had similar expressions of confusion on their faces. Everything about this island and this boy was odd. A deserted island wasn’t anything strange on its own, but one in which its only resident is a young child definitely is. 

“Don’t you have parents…?” Bly asked.

“Nope, but I do have brothers.”

“I thought you said you were the only one on this island.”

“Oh I did...uhh I guess I forgot.” Luffy averted his gaze and pouted his lips to the side; he was a terrible liar.“Well it’s not like they would be much help anyways. They’re asleep right now.”

“Why don’t you just wake-” 

“Follow me, I can show you to some boats. This island wasn’t always this empty!” Luffy briskly cut off Bly and charged deeper into the island. Sanji cursed under his breath and ran after the boy, but he was soon halted by Ripper.

“Something isn’t right about this. We can’t trust this boy, at least not yet. Sanji and Zoro stay here. Bly and I will follow Luffy.”

And with that, the older men left the two boys and started their trek of the island's inland. 

"Well it looks like it's just you and me mosshead."

"Piss off."


End file.
